Oahu - who will let me dive my tank?

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guamgirl

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Messages
11
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0
Location
New England
# of dives
100 - 199
I admit. I'm spoiled. I lived in Guam for two years and I'm accustomed to an overfilled tank and about a 65 minute dive, followed by a 60 minute interval and another 50-minute dive. I'm spending a week in Oahu this month and planning to make the most of it in the water. But I'm told that few boats will let you dive your tank. For the price of diving in Hawaii, this has me feeling blue.

I'm staying at Hilton Hawaiian Village, may or may not rent a car, CAN bring most of my own equipment, but might not want to lug it from the East Coast, and am AOW and Nitrox certified. It's been 17 months since my last dive. I've logged a little over 100 dives - some drifts, most not, all fairly non-challenging in terms of currents.

What I WANT: long dives, good reefs, good marine life, a safe boat experience, a great dive master, the local diver experience.
What I DON't WANT: short dives, the tourist experience, wreck dives that aren't covered with coral and marine life.

Any recommendations? I'm told IslandDivers and Captain Bruce's are good on time underwater. Looks like Gabe Scotti comes highly recommended here. I'm open to suggestions. Thanks!
 
+1 on Gabe, Scottitheduck here on the board.
 
If things fall through, I recommend Aaron's. I have been diving with Aaron's Dive Shop in Kailua. They will pick you up at your hotel. They have a dive for advanced divers in the AM and a shallower dive for beginners or chill divers in the PM. All 2 tank boat dives. If you have your own equip., it is def. cheaper, not sure about using your own tank.

DMs and guides are fun and personable.
 
Guamgirl,
Most boats here set a time limit of 60 minutes for your dives. It is simply to keep them on schedule for the next charter.
Gabe is a great guy, and even though I have never dove with him as part of his group, our paths have crossed on many dive boats. All his customers are very happy when they leave.
When will you be on island? You always have the option of shore diving. With the North Shore opening up, that is a very good option with opportunities to have a dive of 90 minutes or more depending on your consumption.
Hope you have fun.
Charlie
 
Guamgirl,
Most boats here set a time limit of 60 minutes for your dives. It is simply to keep them on schedule for the next charter.
Gabe is a great guy, and even though I have never dove with him as part of his group, our paths have crossed on many dive boats. All his customers are very happy when they leave.
When will you be on island? You always have the option of shore diving. With the North Shore opening up, that is a very good option with opportunities to have a dive of 90 minutes or more depending on your consumption.
Hope you have fun.
Charlie

Charlie - Interesting about the 60-minute time limit. I was lucky to be part of a really local boat in Guam that sort of just catered to us, so it's a different experience trying to plan dives in such a full-throttle tourist setting. I'll be there in toward the end of this month. How would I go about finding someone to shore dive with?

If things fall through, I recommend Aaron's. I have been diving with Aaron's Dive Shop in Kailua. They will pick you up at your hotel. They have a dive for advanced divers in the AM and a shallower dive for beginners or chill divers in the PM. All 2 tank boat dives. If you have your own equip., it is def. cheaper, not sure about using your own tank.

DMs and guides are fun and personable.

Thanks Trailblazer - I've read good things about Aaron's too. So many choices! I'm thinking about spreading it out and going with two or three different operators. Maybe... Gabe, Aaron's and IslandDivers.

Thanks for the help and advice everyone!
 
Don't spread your self too thin. Stick with one outfit and you'll have a better experience because you'll get to know the personallities above and below the water (and they you) and have an overall better experience. If you stick with Gabe, he'll get you where you want to dive on the island so don't stress that part. Give him a heads up and tell him what sort of dives you're looking for and he'll hook you up. Kaimana Divers are highly recommended for a reason...don't ignore it.

As for the 60 minute limit...I've been diving here since August of last year and never once heard someone say "be back on the boat in 60 minutes..." Of course if you don't have a dive buddy with the same air consumption rate as you, you're limited to thier downtime and not yours...keep that in mind as well. Also, afternoon dives charters are ALWAYS more laid back so if you're looking for relaxed long dives, stick with the afternoons.
 

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